Improvement in railway-switches



H. C 0 0 K Railway-Switch.

Painted Apri.127,1875.

THE GRAPHIC CO.PHOTOLITM.39&41 PARK PLACE.NY

UNITED Sfr-Ares PATENT @Prion HIRAM COOK, OF NORVICH, CONNECTICUT.

"IMPROVEMENT 'IN' RAILWAY-SWITCHES.

Specification forming part cfLetters PatentNo. 162,460, dated April'27,1875; application led May 1,- 1872.

To all whom tmay concern:

Be it known that I, HIRAM COOK, of Norwich, in the county of New London,of the State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Improvementin Safety-Switches for Railways; and do hereby declare the saine to befully described in the following specification, and represented in theaccompanying drawings, of which- Figure l denotes a top view of arailway main track and a turnout-track, with my new or improvedsafety-switch mechanism. Fig. 2 is a transverse section taken throughthe inner-end chairs ofthe safety-frogs, to he hereinafter explained.

The nature of my invention consists in the arrangement and combinationof two duplex frogs and guides, as hereinafter described, with afour-rail switch,(or with it and four safety-rails,) and also withmain-track and turnout rails, all being to operate in manner ashereinafter explained, the whole constituting an excellent and easilyoperated safetyswitch in connection with main and turn-out rails.

In such drawings, a b a b exhibit two duplex safety-frogs, each of whichmay be in one piece with the adjacent or intermediate part of the maintrack rail r, or may be in separate pieces, as represented, and beformed and provided with ange-guides fi i, all being' as shown. Theouter-side part d of each frog is bolted to the main railr, and withtheinner portion b is to be held in place by means of chairs s s',disposed upon sleepers, as shown, such chairs being provided withshoulders or abutments m to rest against parts of the frog, and preventlateral displacement of it. The inner portion of each frog is connectedwith the guide t', and the latter rest-s upon and is bolted to thesleepers cfg. The chairs may be in one piece with the frog, or beseparate from it. The guards or guides t t' are to force the lian ges ofthe carriage-wheelsl obliquely across the part a of the frog. The saidpart a of each frog is provided with an inclined plane or recess, x,arranged as shown, its purpose being to raise the carriage-wheels sothat their flanges may pass over and across the piece a and rail r, anddrop down inside of the latter. Safety-rails c d are arranged onopposite sides of those parts of the main-track rails which are betweenthe frog and the switch, such safety-rails `being extended from the twoparts of the frog, and alongside the main-track rail, in manner asshown. The switch is composed of four rails, r1 r1 t t, arranged asshown, and extended between the safety-rails and the maintrack rails r2r2 and Aturn-out rails t t', and pivoted to their supporting-chairs u a.The four switch-rails are to rest on the next adjacent chairs c o of thesafety-rails, and are to -be connected so as to be capable of beingsimultaneously moved laterally, as occasion may require, by a lever, w,acting through a connection-rod, z all being as represented.

The safety-rails and the parts of the main rails between them may beomitted in some cases, and the switch be arranged so as to work directlywith or against the main rails and the parts ofthe frogs, but, fromreasons which will be easily comprehended by engineers, thesafety-ra-ils are especially useful and desirable. In either position ofthe switch two of its rails will be in alignment with the main-trackrails between the safety-rails, one of its other rails being inalignment with an inner safety-rail, and the other in alignment with itsnext adjacent outer safety-rail. In one of its positions the switch willbe set so as to put the turn- .out rails t2 t2 at one end of the switchin alignment with the main-track rails at the opposite end of theswitch, the same being so as to cause a train to pass from the maintrack upon the turn-out or from the turn out to and upon y the maintrack, the other portion of the switch being to keep the parts of themain track in due alignment so as to prevent a carriage or train fromrunning from the main track to and upon the turn-out. If, while theswitch is set for a carriage or train to run from the main track to andupon the turn-out, or vice versa, we suppose a carriage or train to berun upon the switch from the main track, and in a direction from theturn-outto the frogs,we shall see that the carriage or train will run onone outer and one inner safety-rail, and', by the inner part of one frogand its guide, the wheels of one side of the carriage or train will bedirected upon the main track, and the flanges of the wheels of the otherside of the carriage or train will ride upon and over the opposite outerpart of the frog, and pass obliquely over the main rail and drop betweenit and the guide, so as to bring the treads ofthe wheels on the mainrail. So in running from the turn-ont over the switch to and upon themain track, the wheels of the carriage by the outer part of one frog,and the inner part of the other and its guide, will be similarly causedto take the main track.

My safety-switch being provided with four rails instead of six, as arevarious other switches, is simpler and can be operated with greaterease.

Iam aware of the invention of T. D. Simpson, as described in hisrejected application for a patent filed in the Patent Office on March1l, 1844, which differs very materially from mine. First, the switch ofthe said Simpson has six rails, and each frog has of necessity,

to be a triplicate one instead of a duplex one, as in my case.Consequently his switch, of necessity, has to be fifty per cent. heavierthan mine when of like length, and his frogs have to be correspondinglyor very materially increased in weight and cost. My switch is pivoted atone end at the main and turn-ont tracks so as to move at its oppositeend transversely with respect to the frogs or the safetyrails, suchreqniringbut four rails to the switch,

whereas Simpsons switch, by being pivoted to or at the triplicate frogs,and being movable at its opposite end, of necessity must have six rails.

Thus it will be seen that my improved safety-switch not only materiallydiffers in the construction and arrangement ot' its parts from that ofthe said Simpson, but is simplified, and can be operated with lesspower. Therefore, I make no claim tc the switch, frogs, and rails made,arranged, combined in manner and to operate as described in the saidapplication of the said Simpson 5 but I claim- 1. The arrangement andcombination of the two duplex frogs a b a b, and guides i, as described,the four-rail switch r1 r1 t t, and the main and turn-out rails r2 r2 tt.

2. The arrangement and combination of the two duplex frogs a, b a b, andguides t' t', as described, the four safety-rails c d c d, the fourrailswitch r1 'r1 t t, and the main and turn-out rails r2 r2 t t', all beingsubstantially as shown and explained.

HIRAM COOK.

Witnesses:

P. F. M. ANDREWS, H. L. PARKER.

